It is still the spiritual heart of the city of
Peterborough as it has been for the last 1400 years.
The history of the Cathedral has not always been
peaceful... it was sacked by Vikings twice and burnt down by
fire. The precincts were the scene of a riot and
subsequent massacre during the Peasants revolt in 1381, whilst
a Lancastrian army again sacked the abbey during the Wars of the
Roses.
Given the long, and sometimes bloody, history
of this magnificent building, it is perhaps not surprising that it
is reputed to be haunted by a number of ghosts, including...
Visitors have heard the sounds of a phantom
choir inside the building, the chanting of long-dead monks...
Ghostly monks have been seen in and around the Cathedral
graveyard
Another apparition of a monk is seen in the cloisters, appearing
from a blocked doorway, walking across the courtyard and
disappearing into a doorway on the side of the Cathedral
The spirit of a young, tired monk has been seen walking down the
middle of the Cathedral, then suddenly running in terror from an
unseen threat, but his feet appear to disappear into the floor. Was
he a monk slaughtered in one of the Viking raids?
A ghostly candlelight appears in one of the top windows in the West
front of the Cathedral, said to be marking the ghost of a workman
who fell to his death whilst building the church 800 years ago.
Many of Peterborough’s most popular cultural and sporting
facilities are part of Vivacity, an independent,
not-for-profit organisation with charitable status.
Find out more about
the trust on the Vivacity website.